Archaeology of Interaction: Rome and the Peoples of Europe

Peter Wells, Department of Anthropology, University of Minnesota 

Abstract:  The material evidence of excavated settlements, cemeteries and ritual sites provides a picture of Rome's interactions with peoples of Europe that is very different from that gleaned from texts.  From the process of the conquests to the final disintegration of Roman political and military power five centuries later, archaeological evidence enables us to create a rich and varied picture of dynamic communities as they responded to challenges and opportunities presented by the empire.  This lecture examines a series of archaeological sites to illustrate new understandings that are emerging from ongoing research in Roman Period Europe.